My Nonprofit Reviews

Our week with Connect Africa was definitely one of the greatest experiences of our 18 months of world travels. We will always remember the generosity and warmth of the extraordinary teachers, families and students we befriended as we observed the wonderful work that Connect Africa does to support and empower Ugandan people and help improve their quality of life.

We enjoyed our stay in the guest house, which we shared with bright, personable Raymond, a student in the Connect Africa program, who was studying for a national college placement exam. Raymond taught us so much about life, current affairs and the dreams, realities and aspirations of youth in Uganda, and invited us to his home to meet his family.

While at the guest house, we were very well attended to by several people, including the brilliant Connect Africa teacher, Denham, as well as a cook and her assistants, who brought us tasty traditional Ugandan meals and snacks – which we happily shared with Raymond. We soon learned that the meat and good food we were served was only eaten on Christmas by most Ugandans, whose typical daily diet was far simpler - another glimpse into the reality of African life. Denham and Raymond took great care of us, showing us around the quaint village of Jogo, introducing us to people, telling us all about Ugandan life, and even cleaning our shoes for us – an act of appreciation and kindness.

During our stay, we participated in some of the Connect Africa classes and activities for adults and children, which gave us an opportunity to talk with local people, hear their stories and learn more about their lives. We received lots of love from the children and their mothers, who made us feel like welcome friends, and invited us for meals in their homes. We were very impressed with teachers, Denham and Margaret, who demonstrated a natural talent for understanding and motivating the local people, helping them develop valuable life skills and self-esteem. It was inspiring to hear the success stories of the women in Margaret’s class, who learned how to count money, manage a budget, assert themselves with their husbands and start their own businesses. Margaret invited us to her home for a delicious lunch – the kind usually served only on special occasions. We were moved by her hospitality and generosity.

We also spent time with Connect Africa directors, Lynne and Charles, learning more about the program, and visiting some special sites around Kampala, such as Charles’ historical church, and riding with them to drop off students on their first day of high school at different schools around the city. Needless to say, we highly recommend a stay at the Connect Africa guest house. We treasure our experience there and the friendships we made with some amazing Ugandan people.
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